From a young age, us kiwis hear the terms ‘clean’, green’ and ‘100% pure’ applied to our country.

It is a source of great national pride, something that has attracted tourists from across the globe for decades as they seek an ‘untouched’, ‘unspoiled’ little corner of the world.

But it is a true reflection of New Zealand?

Mount Albert Grammar’s Ellen Zhang doesn’t think so.

In her presentation at this years Sir Paul Callaghan Eureka! Awards, Zhang suggests the 100% pure slogan is nothing more than a marketing myth, disguising the ugly truth of a nation with some serious emissions issues.

However, she also offers a solution.

Click here to watch her explain the potential of nanotechnology, a rapidly developing tool that may have the power to decrease energy use, pollution and greenhouse gasses, not just here, but across the world.